Educators and Service Providers

Local administrators, educators, and service providers are essential to supporting positive outcomes for infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. The Educators and Service Providers Resource page includes resources from the U.S. Department of Education and Department-funded projects that local programs and individuals may find helpful.

Visit our IDEA Statute/Regulations and Policy Support pages for more specific, searchable policy information.

IDEA Related Centers

The Department’s Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) supports projects that provide information and technical assistance to a wide audience of early intervention and special education stakeholders in order to strengthen programs and services to infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities.

Information and assistance from these OSEP-funded projects are available free of charge.

OSEP provides discretionary grants to higher-education institutions and other non-profit organizations to support:

  • Research, demonstrations, technical assistance and dissemination
  • Technology and personnel development
  • Parent-training and information centers

Local schools, programs, administrators, educators, and service providers may find the following OSEP-funded centers’ resources useful when helping to provide high-quality services and supports to infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities:

The Early Childhood Technical Assistance (ECTA) Center’s page on Recommended Practices for early childhood professional working with young children with disabilities and on Outcomes Measurement for practitioners whose states use the Child Outcomes Summary Process.
The Center for IDEA Early Childhood Data Systems (DaSy) Resource Library enables educators and service providers to search resources related to collecting and using IDEA early childhood data.

The IDEA Data Center focuses on data requirements under Sections 616 and 618 of the IDEA, including data focused on programs for infants, toddlers, and their families (Part C) and on programs serving children ages three through 21 (Part B).

The Positive Behavior Intervention and Support (PBIS) Center brings together resources for school personnel interested in reducing negative targeted behaviors and teaching positive social behaviors.
Project AFIRM (Autism Focused Intervention Resources and Modules) developed modules designed to help practitioners learn the step-by-step process of planning for, using, and monitoring evidence-based practices with learners from birth to 22 years of age with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
School Wide Integrated Framework for Transformation (SWIFT) developed a SWIFT Field Guide of resources to help school teams get started with equity-based inclusion, an educational system that has the infrastructure and practices in place to provide academic and behavioral supports to improve outcomes for all students and that values every student as a member of the neighborhood school, including those with the most extensive support needs.

Resources include videos, discussion guides, PowerPoints, and steps-to-get-you-started to implement the SWIFT framework.

The National Center on Intensive Interventions (NCII) has developed a collection of Sample Lessons and Activities in reading, mathematics, and behavior and a collection of videos to assist special education teachers, interventionists and others working with students with intensive needs.
The National Center on Improving Literacy includes evidence based resources for improving outcomes for students with literacy based disabilities, including dyslexia.
The National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) developed resources for Transition Planning and Graduation useful for school and other local personnel working with students with disabilities to help them achieve their postsecondary goals.
The IRIS Center provides free, online resources addressing important instructional and classroom topics of high interest to educators and professional development providers focused on improving learning and behavioral outcomes for children with disabilities.

For additional information about OSEP discretionary grant recipients, visit the Resource Centers’ page or OSEP IDEAs That Work.

IDEA Topic Areas

OSEP, along with other department offices, federal agencies, and OSEP discretionary funded-grant recipients, provide numerous IDEA-topic area resources.

For federal resources for IDEA stakeholders on college- and career-readiness standards, tool kits, topic issues in education, intervention IDEA briefs, and a resource library, visit OSEP IDEAs That Work.

For more specific resources on a variety of IDEA topics, visit the Topic Areas resource page. This resource page includes information and resources from the Department, other Federal agencies, and Federally-funded technical assistance centers.

Other Resources

The Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) ensures equal access to education and promotes educational excellence through vigorous enforcement of civil rights in our nation’s schools.

OCR does not enforce the IDEA; however, OCR does enforce the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title II rights of IDEA-eligible students with disabilities.

Visit OCR’s website for additional resources, including Disability Discrimination FAQs.

OSERS’ Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA) oversees grant programs that help individuals with physical or mental disabilities to obtain employment and live more independently through the provision of supports such as counseling, medical and psychological services, job training and other individualized services.

For more on RSA’s programs, visit RSA.

The Comprehensive Center Network (CC Network) brings together a broad range of education initiatives funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Visit the CC Network for access to more than 700 resources developed by 23 centers and information about more than 200 projects across the country.

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Last modified on December 6, 2018